Company may lift dividend to block bid

SYDNEY - Brambles Industries, the world's biggest storage pallet company, may increase its dividend payouts and raise debt levels to avoid a potential takeover approach, JPMorgan Chase said.

Brambles may borrow US$2.5 billion ($3.76 billion) and pay extra dividends of A$1.50 a share in fiscal 2007 and A$1 a share in 2008, says Matthew Crowe, a Sydney-based analyst at JPMorgan.

- BLOOMBERG